The Winter Solstice (which falls on 22 December in 2009) and known as Dongji in Korea (Dongzhi in China) , is observed as the longest night and shortest day of the year. It’s also viewed as “the day that ushers in the new year”. Roots of this festival go back a long way to the Chinese beliefs in the balance of yin and yang. The ancients believed that this night marked the beginning of the end of winter and also an increase in positive energy with more daylight hours. As it is a time for hope and recovery, some Chinese families even regard Dongzhi as even more important than their Lunar New Year festival and mark the occasion with reunion dinners.
Patjuk is a staple of Dongji in Korea. This recipe calls for glutinous rice flour to be rolled into small balls and added to a sweetened red-bean gruel. While the white rice balls symbolise new life, the red bean porridge stood for kicking evil spirits out of one’s home.
According to old wives’ tales, evil spirits hate red. The colour is also associated with ‘yang’ ( meaning positive energy) so Korean ajummas used to spray red beans cooked into patjuk all over their homes to discourage such spirits from entering. They also said that a warm winter solstice was a bad omen of disease and death while a cold and snowy solstice signalled prosperity in the coming year.
Patjuk was also offered as part of the first harvest of the season at the ancestral table. Modern housewives are more likely to give their children patjuk because red beans are reputed to be especially good for keeping the body warm and hydrated. Of all the grains, they’re the ones with the most vitamin B1.
Koreans also believed that a person was one year older after eating a bowl of patjuk with one rice ball for each year of his or her age. Question is: How on earth do the halmoenis avoid indigestion if they have to consume so many glutinous rice balls?
sources:
http://dynamic-korea.com/cuisine/intro_kfood/seasonal.php http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/CU/CU_EN_8_1_5_2_8.jsp
http://www.food.co.kr/english/05_3.html
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_photo_detail.htm?No=3770¤t_page=101
http://www.food.co.kr/english/05_3.html
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